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cnn
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A community is in mourning Monday, a day after two police officers and a firefighter were shot to death in Burnsville, Minnesotawhile responding to a domestic incident.
Authorities identified the three men as officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, both 27, and firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth, 40.
“We’re suffering. Today, three members of our team made the ultimate sacrifice for this community,” Burnsville Police Chief Tanya Schwartz said at a news conference Sunday. “They are heroes.”
Authorities responded around 1:50 a.m. to a home in Burnsville, about 15 miles south of Minneapolis, where a man was reported to be armed and barricaded inside with members of his family, according to a news release from the city on Sunday.
At some point, the subject inside opened fire, Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told reporters at a news conference Sunday. At least one of the first responders died inside the home, he said, and several officers returned fire.
The suspect, who has not been publicly identified and had “several weapons and a large amount of ammunition,” is also dead, Evans said. Seven children who were inside the house, between 2 and 15 years old, were able to get out and are safe.
Another officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott was injured and hospitalized. He was believed to have non-life-threatening injuries, the city said.
The deaths of Elmstrand and Ruge while on the job make them the 17th and 18th law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty so far this year, according to officer’s memorial page below. As of Monday morning, six of those deaths were attributed to gunshots, according to the page.
“We must never take for granted the bravery and sacrifices our first responders make every day,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement. “Today the families of these public servants received the call that they knew was possible but that they hoped would never come. “My heart goes out to those grieving families – the state of Minnesota stands ready to support in any way we can.”
Here’s a look at the late lifeguards and who they were.
Paul Elmstrand, 27 years old
Elmstrand joined the Burnsville police force in August 2017 as a community service officer, Evans said Sunday. He was promoted to officer about two years later.
Elmstrand was a member of the Burnsville Police Department’s mobile command staff, peer team, honor guard and field training unit.
His wife, Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita, said CNN affiliate WCCO They went to school together since kindergarten on Sunday, started dating in high school and got married five years ago. They have two children, one 2 years old and the other 5 months old, WCCO reported.
“He was the most generous, loving and patient person I have ever met,” he said. “He could have a conversation with anyone and make them feel seen. “He would drop everything to help someone in need, whether it was a family member, a friend or someone on the street,” she said.
“I think I had to be the hero. He had to do what he thought was right to protect those little lives even if it meant putting his own at risk and it breaks my heart because now he’s gone. But I know he thought what he did was right.” she said.
Ruge had been a member of the Burnsville Police Department since April 2020, Evans said. He was part of their crisis negotiations team and was a physical evidence officer.
A former neighbor, Robin Gwaltney, said CNN affiliate KARE She “wasn’t at all surprised that he became a police officer, because he was dedicated to doing good things for people.”
When his father was dying, Gwaltney said, Ruge spent time with him.
“Unfortunately, his life was cut too short,” Gwaltney said, “because he was a first-rate person.”
Finseth had been a Burnsville firefighter-paramedic since 2019, Evans told reporters, and was assigned to a SWAT team that responded to the incident.
Before working in Burnsville, Finseth served in the cities of Savage and Hastings, Fire Chief BJ Jungmann said Sunday.
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